


Silver Chain

by Ravenclaweruditeowl



Series: Albion's Trophies [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur reads books, Destiny, Gen, Kilgharrah still hates Morgana, Magic Revealed, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), POV Arthur, POV Morgana (Merlin), Platonic Relationships, Post-Magic Reveal, Prophetic Dreams, Protective Arthur, emrys reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2020-04-23 04:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19143796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenclaweruditeowl/pseuds/Ravenclaweruditeowl
Summary: After an early (season 1) magic reveal, Arthur may now know about Merlin’s magic, but even in a world where Merlin has Arthur’s support, destiny and prophecy still haunt their path .With more and more people let in on Merlin's secret, the only question is when - not if - Uther will find out.With Merlin’s help, Morgana tries to use her magic for the better, but can she really just walk away from the other side of her family, especially when those presumed dead return and offer a chance to stop Uther from hurting others like her?Gold Coin sequel taking place in season 2 of Merlin, can stand alone.





	1. The Nightmare Begins

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read the previous story in this series, know that Arthur knows about Merlin's magic, and Morgana is pretty sure Merlin has magic. Gaius doesn't know that they know.
> 
> This chapter is entirely in Morgana's POV but future chapters will likely switch between Morgana, Arthur, and possibly others (Right now, I'm thinking only Pendragons will be allowed to have chapters in their POV :) ).

The Nightmare Begins

Morgana woke suddenly, terrified that the fire from her nightmare had followed her into the waking world. It was still dark outside, but the light from the flames still burned brightly in her mind's eye even as her actual eyes saw nothing but a dim candle. At least for the first moment. Then Morgana's dream and her real life seemed to merge into one as the candle flame rose impossibly high.

Morgana heard herself scream in unison with a bright flash of lightning when she saw the flames spread to her curtains. Cool air rushed in with the burst of windows, shattering the barrier between her and the world in which her dream had taken place.

Feet were running in the hall outside now, but Morgana barely heard them. She could only stare in terror at the destruction  _she_  had caused.

0o0o0o0o0

Gaius finally backed away from Morgana. He had taken on a professional silence as he had briefly examined Morgana for burns or any other injuries. He had found no physical damage, but Morgana knew that she wouldn't be allowed to leave just yet.

"What I don't understand, Morgana, is how the fire started in the first place."

"It happened so quickly." Morgana could still feel the heat of the fire around her when she closed her eyes. "It was terrifying."

"It's alright," Gaius reassured, "You're safe now."

Morgana shook her head. She was anything but safe after that fire. "You're the only person I've told about my dreams. I know I can trust you, Gaius."

"Yes, of course you can."

"It was me. I set the room alight. I started the fire."

"I don't understand. Did you knock a candle over?"

Morgana clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. She wasn't sure what was causing the tremors - fear from the night's events, or anger at Gaius. His pitiful excuse for a lie, "I don't understand" didn't fool Morgana. She would have just stopped the conversation there if it weren't for her own desperation for the answers that Gaius could hold.

"No that's not what happened. I did it just by looking at it, the flames suddenly leapt higher"

"It could've been a gust of wind," Gaius suggested.

"It wasn't," Morgana insisted. "It was me. It was magic."

"My child…"

"I'm not a child!"

Gaius' response grew stonier than normal after that. "Last night was an accident. It had nothing to do with you."

Accident it may have been, but it had everything to do with her.

"How could it have? I am going to draw you up a fresh remedy that will make you feel better, I promise."

"No, Gaius, it wouldn't help." She had taken one of Gaius' draughts before sleeping the previous night. It hadn't done much good.

"You must trust me."

Morgana had trusted Gaius for years, since she had arrived in Camelot as a ten-year-old girl, back when her nightmares hadn't come as often or been as bad. She still trusted him with most things. But maybe it was time to search for a real solution, even if the thought was almost as terrifying as the dreams themselves.

There were two other routes she could see herself taking from here. She could find the druids, or she could ask Merlin. Having a friend that knew about magic, that could possibly teach her should have been some comfort to her, she knew that, but there were still too many ways things could go wrong.

What if Merlin didn't actually have magic?

What if he wasn't powerful or experienced enough to help her?

She knew that Arthur, even if Merlin had magic, trusted his servant with his life, but would he be able to give that trust to Morgana? Was there any way to get help from Merlin without revealing her secret to Arthur?

0o0o0o0o0

"I can stay if that would make you feel better."

"You've done so much already." Gwen truly had been a friend more than a servant that day. Morgana hadn't searched for any more answers yet, although she knew she would have to, and soon.

Gwen smiled. "I don't mind."

Morgana didn't know if that was really the truth - coming from Gwen, it might be. Or it could just be meant to comfort and nothing else. There was a small room attached to Morgana's that was meant for a servant to stay in, but Morgana had never wanted Gwen to see just how often she woke up in fear because of her dreams.

"I'll be fine. Really."

Gwen reached for Morgana's hand and squeezed it once before standing to go.

"Gwen," Morgana called.

Gwen stopped by the door and looked back.

"Take the candle."

Little did Morgana know that in only a few hours she would manage to destroy something without the candle's flame.

The vase from her table shattered as she once again woke from a nightmare, glass, flowers, and water spreading over the floor. She was almost sure she could smell the smoke from the night before, that she had managed to light a fire without even a candle this time, but a few moments of barely controlled deep breaths wiped away the illusion.

Hope that her magic could be forgotten or pushed aside for even a few nights had disappeared, though. She knew that she had to act.

Before she knew it, Morgana was back in the physician's chambers, even though it was still dark.

Gaius was nowhere to be seen, which, fortunately for Morgana, was exactly what she needed.

"Morgana?" Merlin was awake and looking at her with an expression that Morgana couldn't quite define.

Realizing that she had just run across the castle still wearing her nightgown, Morgana figured that she would probably look at herself in a similar manner if she weren't so desperate for answers.

"Gaius isn't here right now, he went to speak to the king. Is there something I can do?"

"No," Morgana said. "No, Merlin, I'm here to talk to you."

Merlin waited.

Morgana opened her mouth to tell him, to ask him for help, but she found that she couldn't. Somehow, telling Merlin that she had magic scared her more than telling Gaius. Maybe it was because she had actually taken the time to think about telling Merlin, whereas her confession to Gaius had been spontaneous. Or maybe it was because telling Merlin somehow made the magic more real than it had been before.

It meant there was no going back into secrecy.

"You can trust me, Morgana. You know you can."

"The remedies," she began, "they don't work. It's magic, Merlin. I have magic."

She half expected to see the look of denial cross Merlin's face as it had on Gaius. Maybe he wouldn't even believe her words, maybe he'd think it was some kind of trick.

"I know," Merlin said.

Morgana wanted to cry (she didn't, that would ruin her reputation and she knew that if she started crying now, she wouldn't be able to stop). She wanted to cry because of fear - and because of relief.

"I've been trying to get Gaius to talk to you about it, but he keeps refusing. He says it's safer for you this way and forbade me from bringing it up with you. Since you're the one who started this conversation though, hopefully I won't get into any trouble, but all the same."

"Keep this between us?"

"Yeah."

"I won't tell Gaius if you won't tell Arthur."

Merlin frowned slightly. "Deal, for now. I think you should tell Arthur eventually."

"Perhaps." Morgana didn't find the point worth arguing at the moment, not when more important matters were yet to be discussed. "Do you know how to help me?" she asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I'm not completely sure, but I can try to teach you. Knowing how to control your magic will help you prevent events like that fire. I can try to get away from my other duties to teach you - it would be easier if Arthur knew why I had to —"

"No."

"Okay, okay, not yet then. I'll let you know a time and place to meet tomorrow. In the meantime, you could let Uther know that you're feeling fine. Arthur 'accidentally' misplaced the list of people suspected of consorting with sorcerers, but that won't stop the searches for long. You not being concerned with this could get Uther to relax security."

"Arthur helped to protect people?"

Merlin nodded. "Of course."

Morgana took a step backward. She hadn't realized how much Arthur had done. She thought that, at the most, he had accepted that Merlin was an exception to the "magic is evil" rule, and at the least, had decided to ignore Merlin's talent and pretend like he'd never figured out the secret.

If Arthur really was helping those with Magic, maybe Merlin was right.

0o0o0o0

Merlin hadn't been lying when he'd said that it would be hard to find time in his schedule. An entire day later Morgana still hadn't heard anything from him, though he had sent up some new flowers to replace the ones that had crashed with the vase.

Morgana had just decided that she might as well prepare for bed, that Merlin hadn't been able to make it that day, when someone knocked on her door.

She pulled the door open immediately, eager to begin lessons.

Merlin entered, holding a familiar bottle.

"I thought I'd made it clear to you, Merlin." Morgana scowled at the bottle. "Sleeping potions don't work." Maybe Merlin wasn't the solution she'd been looking for if he still thought that they would be useful.

"Gaius asked me to deliver this - and how else was I supposed to get past the guards back there? It's dark out and if I didn't bring this I wouldn't have an excuse to be up here."

Morgana laughed. She really needed to work on trusting people.

"Sit." She offered him a seat at her table as she took one herself.

Merlin reluctantly did so as he admitted that he couldn't stay long.

"I understand. I realise how frightening all this must be for you. Especially for you."

"Why especially for me?"

"You're the King's ward. You know his hatred of magic better than anyone. You've saved people from being arrested by talking to Uther today, but that doesn't change that you have to hide what you are right under his nose, and believe me, I know how scary that can be." His eyes met hers from the other side of the table, and Morgana was suddenly curious to see what it would look like when his eyes shifted from blue to gold.

It didn't seem possible.

"I'll start teaching you one spell tonight," Merlin continued, "but my main reason for coming here was to make sure that you know you're not alone anymore. You have me. And you should tell Arthur. We'll work on this together."

"Thank you," Morgana whispered, but she could only be held back by sentiment for a moment. "Could we… get to that spell?"

Merlin grinned. "Of course, my lady. I thought we could start out with fire. Not only is it one of the first spells I learned, but I thought you should know how to put out a fire quickly should you set one on accident, and light fires intentionally next time."

"Show me," Morgana ordered, though not unkindly.

" _Forbearnan._ "

Merlin's eyes glowed brightly as the small flame crackled in his palm. Morgana had never felt more certain that she would win the fight with her dreams. How could she not, now that she had a teacher.

0o0o0o0

Looking back on it, going into the forest to practice magic on her own probably hadn't been the best idea, especially since she hadn't told anyone she was going. Gwen only knew that Morgana would be out for the day, she hadn't talked to Merlin since the previous night, and no one else knew anything.

The pitying or fearful glances from servants and ladies of the court that Morgana had endured the past two days had been just as confining as staying in her quarters would have been, and she hadn't felt like waiting for a troupe of guards to be set up to accompany her. Guards would've meant that she couldn't try to start a fire with nothing more than words and the power inside her.

When she spotted the first serket, she regretted not bringing someone with her.

"Forbearnan." She held out her hand, hoping that a flame would appear, even though she had barely been able to create anything the previous night, and only with an intense focus that she didn't have now.

"Forbearnan.  _Forbearnan_." Her voice was too shaky, and she didn't feel anything as she said the words.

The serket was only a couple feet away when she tipped sideways and barely acknowledged that there was something or someone moving in her peripheral vision before she fell unconscious.

0o0o0o0

Morgana didn't wake up in the castle, but someone stroked her forehead with a cloth.

It wasn't someone she knew.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said. "You've hurt your leg. Try not to move it."

"What happened?"

"You were stung by a serket. I came to help. My name's Aglain. Relax, Morgana. You're safe now."

"Who told you my name?" Morgana's eyes wandered around the room and found one other person at the same time the other voice entered into the conversation

" _I did."_

"You."

"When the serket attacked last night, Mordred was able to sense your distress in his mind," Aglain said.

" _Hello Morgana."_  Mordred smiled at her.

"Did you hear that? How did you do that?"

Aglain seemed to find humor in her surprise. "We don't always need words to speak to one another."

"Now I can take care of you like you did me," Mordred said.

"Yes," Morgana agreed. "Thank you."

She was unable to walk to the entrance to the tent to see what was outside, but there wasn't much there to see. She couldn't see any other tents beyond the entrance and heard only the usual movement from the wind brushing against leaves.

"Are you here alone?" she asked.

Aglain shook his head. "Not alone, but this is a small group. We don't usually pass so close to Camelot, but one of our seers thought it was necessary. Perhaps they saw a vision of you, Lady Morgana."

"Is that what I am?" Morgana asked him. "A seer?"

Aglain nodded.

Mordred took her hand in his and looked at her. His smile wasn't a huge one, but Morgana could sense that his presence there, his hand in hers, was meant to be a source of comfort.

"People who are able to do this are few and far between," Aglain continued. "You have a gift."

A harsh laugh came unbidden. "If only I could see it as such. A gift is supposed to bring happiness, not force someone to hide, not give them dreams of a future that they can't change."

" _It is a gift,_ " Mordred assured.

"It will be many years before you're able to understand it fully, but when you do," Aglain promised, "You will be able to see its usefulness. This isn't something to be afraid of. You can stay with us as long as you wish. You don't have to be afraid of Uther."

Morgana didn't accept or refuse that offer. She thought about what it would mean to go back with these people and live with the druid. She would see Mordred as often as she wanted, and she would be surrounded by people that didn't fear her for what she was but accept and encourage her.

Wasn't it all she had ever wanted? Even before she knew her dreams were magic, had she ever truly fit in with the people of Camelot? She was admired, and she had Gwen as a friend, but women of other noble families either disliked spending time with Morgana or were so shallow or oblivious that Morgana had no wish to spend time with them.

"Sleep now, Morgana," Aglain said after allowing her a couple moments to think. "You can make your decision when you have healed and are well rested."

0o0o0o0

"Morgana!"

She was woken a lot less gently the next time, and not by either Aglain or Mordred. Someone was shaking her, and they didn't seem willing to wait for her to wake up in her own time.

"Merlin?" she asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you back to Camelot."

"I just got here, I want to stay a while," Morgana protested. "How did you even find me?"

"You've been asleep longer than you think - nearly two days now. Your absence from Camelot didn't go unnoticed. Uther's sent out search parties."

"Search parties?"

"Yes," Merlin helped get Morgana to her feet while he talked. "He thinks you've been kidnapped."

Morgana sighed. Of course, Uther had probably done something rash. How could she have even entertained the idea that she could simply leave Camelot and find peace?

"About a dozen people have been arrested and will be executed if you're not found."

"If I return how can I prevent myself from falling to that same fate?"

"I promise, that won't happen. You know I won't tell a soul."

0o0o0o0

Arthur's patrol found them near Camelot. It hadn't taken any more than the threat of possible executions to get Morgana to leave Aglain, Mordred, and their companions, all of whom assured her that they would meet again someday.

"Where have you  _been_ , Morgana?" Arthur practically leapt off his horse to reach her. "We've been searching all this time, and you've been what?" He glanced behind her to where Merlin stood innocently holding the leaves he had picked from the plant a couple feet behind him. " _Gathering herbs_  with  _Merlin?_ " He gave both of them a look that quite clearly said he didn't believe a word he was saying.

Talking only to Merlin this time he said, "I should've known you had something to do with this when you didn't turn up with breakfast this morning."

Arthur didn't question either of them on the short trip back (In which Morgana was loaned a horse, and Merlin was made to walk) but Morgana guessed that an interrogation was only postponed until they weren't surrounded by knights.

When they reached the square, it only took a minute for Uther to reach them. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace that Morgana did not feel like responding to. She leaned in anyway to keep up appearances.

"I was so, so worried about you."

"There was no need. I went on a walk yesterday, found a nice spot to sit, and fell asleep. Apparently I was in more need of rest than I had guessed. 

0o0o0o0

"Sleep well," Merlin said as he walked out the door.

Morgana smiled. She didn't doubt that she would still have her dreams, but the thought of them was already a little less terrifying. Even so, she wasn't quite ready to get ready to sleep yet, so she followed Merlin out.

She didn't get far before she heard Arthur's voice at the base of the stairs. She stopped walking — she hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but this could be interesting.

"This has to stop," Arthur said.

The sound of Merlin's footsteps stopped and Arthur kept talking.

"The King would have your head if he found out, and there's no point denying it."

"Denying what?" Merlin asked.

"Your affections for the Lady Morgana."

Morgana's face felt warmer than usual and she had the odd feeling that she might laugh. She could see why Arthur might come to that conclusion with the flowers, and Morgana being found with Merlin earlier that day, but it was clear that Arthur had to be told what was really going on.

"Right," Merlin said.

"Take a bit of advice from someone who knows about women."

"Well, if such a person existed, I would."

At this, Morgana actually did laugh.

"Morgana?" Arthur looked upwards and saw her at the edge of the staircase. "Have you been there the whole time?"

Both Arthur and Merlin were red in the face and carried the expression and stance of two children caught red-handed in something they were specifically told not to do.

"We need to talk," Morgana said. She beckoned both of them to follow her.

They looked at each other and followed.

Back in her chambers, Arthur started to talk again.

"If you heard what I was saying, Morgana, I don't see why you would disagree. This is for your well being as much as Merlin's safety. The two of you shouldn't even be friends let alone anything —"

"Arthur, I have magic."

"- else." Arthur froze. " _What?_  What did you just say?"

"I have magic," she repeated. "That's why Merlin's been coming to see me. I need help controlling it so that I don't cause another fire, or worse."

"You have - you can't have. I would know if you had. Wouldn't I?"

Morgana watched as Arthur stumbled through his confusion. "So, Arthur, if you want what's best for me, you'll help us keep this a secret."

"Of course," Arthur said immediately. "I can do that."

"Good," Morgana said.

She waited for them to leave, but the two were apparently waiting for her to say something else.

"You can go."

"Right. Go." Arthur nodded for Merlin to go ahead of him as if it were his fault they were still standing awkwardly in the room.

After they left, Morgana was reminded of another person who was left out of the secret.

"I just wanted to see if you needed anything else before I left," Gwen murmured.

"No, Gwen, thank you."

_Would it really hurt to let Gwen in on her secret, too?_


	2. Lancelot and Guinevere

Arthur thought he must have spent more time in the castle library that week than he had in the past five years, and he hadn’t found a single useful piece of information. His father, whatever his faults may have been, was nothing if not thorough with his eradication of everything to do with magic. Nothing in the library had so much as a mention of magic unless it was to confirm its evilness. 

 

He hadn’t given much information to Geoffrey, the librarian, but what he had said to explain his search had made the man suspicious. Arthur only hoped that he could be trusted not to tell the King that Arthur was poking around for druid related texts. 

 

It was just about time for Arthur to leave when a bookshelf moved. He had only been trying to take a peek at some of the books on higher shelves. Climbing the structure probably hadn’t been the best idea, but taking the time to bring over a ladder would have not only cost minutes but attracted more watchful eyes. 

 

At worst, Arthur thought the shelf might collapse. Never in a million years would he have guessed that it would open a secret entrance to a small room. 

 

Everything in the room was covered with dust. Clearly, no one had spent time in it for quite some time. Two steps in, Arthur knocked over a box and something inside it moved. It sounded like something alive. Arthur moved the box out of his way and piled some books on top so that whatever it was wouldn’t escape. Better safe than sorry. 

 

Dusting off the cover of another book, Arthur grinned in triumph. The book was clearly magical. 

 

After opening the book, his triumph wore away. 

 

It would be just his luck that all the books he wanted to read would be written in some foreign text, wouldn’t it? 

 

He searched the shelves until he found a book that he could read at least some portions of, and left the secret room. He would be back, but the one book is all he would have time for that day. 

 

Besides, Morgana had left that morning to visit her father’s grave. If he waited a day, he could take her and Merlin to that secret miniature library and have them translate for him. 

 

0o0o0o0

 

 

“You look troubled, Gwen,” Morgana said. 

 

“I'm fine.”

 

“You're very secretive these days. I'm beginning to think there's a man involved.” Or, Gwen had seen more than she should. Gwen could have guessed at Morgana having magic. 

 

Gwen only laughed. “When do I get to meet any decent men?”

 

And as if called by her words, men (and not the decent kind) attacked from out of the trees. Morgana turned her horse, looking for an escape between all the fighting. 

 

“My ladies, you must follow me!” Sir Robert gestured towards a gap between the bandits before he was shot in the back. 

 

Having been pulled off their horses, Morgana and Gwen ran. 

 

“Gwen! Head for the path! Go!” Morgana yelled. They changed their course slightly and kept running, but it was no use. Someone was already waiting to meet them. 

 

Morgana stopped, trapped between the fight behind her and this man with a sword, and enough muscle to take her down without it. “I warn you. I am Uther Pendragon's ward. He'll have your heads if any harm comes to me.”

 

The man shook his head. “I have no intention of harming you. At least not yet. You're much more valuable to me alive, Lady Morgana.” 

 

0o0o0o0

 

They had planned (barely) and now it was time to act. 

 

“I am the King's ward and accustomed to certain standards. I am sure you are quite contented to stink like a pig, but I am not.” Morgana tried for her usual confidence but found her voice lacking in the power it usually had. 

 

Kendrick, as the man had been named, sneered. “The Lady Morgana wishes to bathe! Who wants to help me guard her?” His greedy gaze went not to his fellow fighters but to Morgana. 

 

The others laughed, and Morgana wished she could challenge each and each one to a duel. She could defeat them, one by one. But such a challenge would never be accepted by men with no honour. 

 

At the stream, Morgana pulled off her cloak and stopped. Two men were still watching, and, while Morgana did value her privacy, the more important matter was that they look away long enough for her and Gwen to get a head start. That had been plan A. 

 

Plan A would only work if the guards were stupid enough to fall for it. 

 

“You may find the water a little icy,” Kendrick mocked. 

 

“I'm sure I'll manage,” Morgana responded. “If you were any kind of gentleman, you'd give me some privacy.”

 

Kendrick sneered. “Well, unfortunately for you I am no kind of gentleman. Now get on with it.”

 

On to plan B, then. Apparently, only Camelot’s guards were idiots. Morgana would have to see about that being fixed. She pulled off her outer garments, and noted, but didn’t react, when one of the bandits let go of Gwen. 

 

“You can at least turn your backs.”

 

“So you can make a run for it. Do you think I'm that stupid?”

 

“I think you're very stupid.”

 

As discussed in whispered voices in their tent, Gwen snatched at Kendrick’s sword while Morgana threw her fist towards him. Sword in hand, Morgana quickly disarmed and slashed at both men. 

 

They ran as quickly as they could in the direction Morgana chose. They hadn’t gotten far before Morgana heard Gwen stumble behind her. 

 

“Gwen!” 

 

“Run!” Gwen yelled desperately.  

 

“Put your arm around my shoulder,” Morgana insisted. “come on!”

 

“No, no, no. We'll never outrun them, you must go on without me!”

 

“I’m not leaving you behind!” 

 

“Morgana, go! Please! You must get help!”

 

“Take this.” Morgana handed Gwen the sword she had taken from their captor and turned to run just as a man caught up to them. “ _Astryce!_ ” She yelled, forcing out an arm in front of her. It was the first spell Merlin had taught her when she had asked about self-defence - she wasn’t even sure if it would work, she hadn’t found it very reliable in practice. 

 

The man went flying back into a tree and didn’t move to get back up. 

 

“Morgana!” Gwen gasped, staring at the fallen man, the sword hanging at her side. “How - when - you can’t -” 

 

Morgana wanted to explain, to sit down and talk with Gwen about magic and assure her that it wasn’t the evil she thought it was, but the sound of more people running after them crept closer and Gwen raised the sword again. 

 

“Go!” She launched herself as best as she could at the next man pursuing them. Morgana tried to use magic again, but, as usual, the spell failed her. Morgana heard the man scream as she turned and fled. 

 

0o0o0o0

 

Morgana faced a moment of panic when she heard movement again behind her, but a glance of Camelot red assured her that it was only a search party for her, not another group out to kidnap her for ransom. 

 

“Morgana!” Arthur lowered his sword when he saw who it was. “Where’s Guinevere?” He swung around as if he expected Gwen to hop out from behind another tree in perfect condition. 

 

Morgana shook her head, unable to see a word. 

 

Arthur grimaced, nodded, and reached for Morgana’s arm. They’d brought an extra horse for her, and Morgana climbed into the saddle on her own, refusing help from a knight who had offered it. 

 

“Arthur,” she whispered. They were far enough ahead of the knights that she was sure they couldn’t hear, but she didn’t dare say the word ‘magic’ anyway. “Gwen saw me. I tried to use that skill Merlin helped me with to escape, but I failed. I couldn’t get us both out of there.” 

 

“It’s not your fault.” 

 

Morgana clenched her fists tighter around the reigns. 

 

“You did your best. Leave the rest to me.” 

 

0o0o0o0

 

Morgana entered Arthur’s chambers without knocking. “That better have been some kind of distraction, Arthur Pendragon! Gwen is the most kind, loyal person that you would ever meet, and she has been more than a friend to all of us! If you leave her at the mercy of those animals, I promise you, I’ll make your life a living hell!” 

 

Arthur’s unprotesting, almost bored, response to Uther’s declaration that no one would be sent after Gwen had shocked her. After everything she and Arthur had gone through, and after everything she, and Merlin, had trusted him with, it didn’t seem possible that Arthur would just abandon a friend. 

 

Arthur turned to her, raising a bag in one hand and a piece of clothing in the other. “Packing. See? Use your eyes before making accusations.” 

 

Exhaling, Morgana let her shoulders relax. “You are going after her. Good. I’m going with you.” 

 

“Absolutely not.” 

 

“I’m the one who got her into this mess!” 

 

“And you were also the original target. We can’t save Gwen only to lose you.” Arthur put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ll bring her home. I told you to leave the rest to me, I’ll take care of it.” 

 

Morgana nodded. She supposed that putting a little bit more trust in Arthur couldn’t hurt anything. Besides, wherever Arthur went, Merlin went also. 

 

0o0o0o0

 

Arthur had been somewhat offended that Morgana had thought that he would just sit around in the castle while Gwen was out there somewhere needing help. Just like he would never have abandoned Merlin, he would never have considered leaving Gwen on her own. Yes, he had been disappointed that he wouldn’t get information from the books he had found just yet but books could wait. Guinevere could not. As soon as it was dark, he made sure that he and Merlin went on their way. 

 

“I’ll fetch the horses, you distract the guards,” Arthur ordered, peeking out from behind a cart. Sneaking out of his own city was, of course, a last resort, but a necessary one. The guards were under Uther’s orders, not his. And of the knights, Arthur doubted any would follow his orders above the king’s except Sir Leon in rare occasions. 

 

Merlin turned to look at Arthur. “How do I do that?” 

 

“I don’t know.” Arthur was already positioning himself to go towards the stables. “Do I have to think of everything?” 

 

It only took Arthur a few minutes to make sure the horses were ready, as he had made sure they would be earlier that day. On his return, the guards lay collapsed in the square and Merlin stood where Arthur had left him, a slight frown on his face. 

 

“What did you do?” Arthur hissed. He had guessed that Merlin would use magic, but the type of magic he had been thinking of was the kind that created fake footsteps heading in a different direction, not the kind that rendered a person unconscious. “I said distract them, not knock them out!”

 

“There’s just no pleasing you sometimes.” 

 

0o0MERLIN0o0

 

_Thud_. 

 

Arthur turned in his saddle to look behind him. Merlin was on the ground, his horse plodding on behind Arthur’s as Merlin scrambled to get back up. 

 

“What are you doing, Merlin?” 

 

“I must've fallen asleep. Ugh, I'm exhausted.” Merlin sighed. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”

 

Arthur reached for his canteen, opened it, and threw the water contained at Merlin’s face. 

 

“Thank you. I feel so much better.”

 

Arthur resisted the urge to either leave Merlin behind or get off his own force to slap the boy for his sarcasm. “Guinevere's life is at stake! We cannot afford to waste a second.”

 

0o0oMERLINo0o0

 

“The ransom was supposed to be delivered to the Veil of Denaria,” Arthur said. It was the next day, and enough time had been spent sleeping (or not sleeping in Arthur’s case). It was time to pick up the pace. “If they're holding Gwen anywhere, it has to be there. Which means, it'd save a day's riding if we cut through the tunnels of Andor.”

 

“Oh, no. I know that face. I'm not going to like this, am I?” Merlin looked over Arthur’s shoulder at the map he had packed. “What's in the tunnels?” 

 

Arthur had studied the map while he had been supposed to be sleeping, and hadn’t found an alternate route, or much to guide him on this one, but he told Merlin what he knew. 

 

“They're…” Arthur hesitated, “Infested with Wilddeoren. Maybe it would have been better - faster, and less risky for Guinevere that was - if he hadn’t said anything unless there were any problems. He wasn’t sure if it would turn out a good decision or a bad one. If Merlin knew what wilddeoren were then maybe he knew a better way to avoid them. Or maybe he only knew enough to know that they shouldn’t go through the tunnels unless they had to. 

 

And they did have to. 

 

“What are wilddeoren?” 

 

Arthur grimaced. “Well, they’re like giant…”

 

Merlin’s eyes widened. 

 

“... Baby rats” 

 

“Baby rats? They don't sound so bad.”

 

“They feast on human flesh.”

 

“Maybe we should go over the mountains?” Merlin suggested, looking through the trees at the mountains ahead.

 

“No. The tunnels are the only way, unless,” Arthur glanced quickly around, even though he knew no one was likely to hear them, “Unless you can use magic? You know, just make us disappear here and appear on the other side?” 

 

He couldn’t fathom why neither of them had thought of it before. They had both seen sorcerers escape from Camelot by disappearing in a swirl of wind. Sure, they’d never seen any of these sorcerers take anyone with them, but it couldn’t be that difficult. 

 

Merlin looked across at him, clearly surprised. 

 

Arthur hadn’t really ever directly asked Merlin to use magic, only thrown him in situations where he would probably need it. It wasn’t that Arthur was afraid of what Merlin might do, and Merlin’s magic was no longer an issue of trust. It was just that Merlin using magic for everything made Arthur look at everything he had ever done and still feel… useless. 

 

“No, Arthur, I can’t.” 

 

“Why not?” 

 

Merlin squirmed under Arthur’s glare. “I don’t know _how!_ ” 

 

Of all the reasons Merlin could have given, Arthur wasn’t sure why this one surprised him. Of course, Merlin wasn’t all-knowing. 

 

“Maybe,” Merlin continued, “if we went through the mountains this way,” 

 

Arthur ignored him and walked over to the bushes near the cave entrance. Gaia berries. _Wilddeoren are completely blind_ , he had read. _They hunt only by their sense of smell_. Arthur pressed the berries between his fingers, brought them up to his nose, and cringed. They were absolutely foul. 

 

“Er...what are you doing?” Merlin asked. 

 

“Wilddeoren are completely blind, they hunt by sense of smell,” Arthur repeated. “Gaia berries will put them off the scent. So, if we smear ourselves with them, perhaps we can pass through the tunnels undetected.” Perhaps. It was a stellar idea, if only they had time to be tested before serious use. 

 

The smell of the berries blocked off all other surrounding smells as Arthur continued to smear them all over his face and arms. 

 

“Oh!” Merlin scrunched his nose at the first whiff of berries. “Oh, these stink!”

 

“Perhaps you'd prefer to be eaten alive.”

 

“Pass me some more, will you?”

 

0o0oMERLINo0o0

 

Morgana sat in her room staring blankly at the pages in Merlin’s magic book. She had fallen asleep the previous night, terrified and hopeful for what she might see. 

 

She had woken up in the morning having seen nothing, and while previously that would’ve been a blessing, this time, Morgana couldn’t help but think of it as a bad omen. 

 

“My Lady, you’ve not touched your food. Could I get you something more to your liking?” 

 

“No, thank you, Arleen. You can go.” 

 

The servant bowed her head and exited the room. 

 

Gwen’s replacement had been sent up by Uther that morning. She was familiar - Morgana was pretty sure that she had seen the girl in passing at least a few times - but she wasn’t a friend. Morgana wasn’t even sure she could consider Gwen a friend anymore. She kept replaying the moment when Gwen had seen her use magic over and over in her head, and each time, Gwen’s face became angrier and more fearful. 

 

It was impossible to tell which memory was the truth. 

 

Morgana went back to looking at the book, but it was difficult to focus when the only thing she could hear in her mind was the word “coward.” 

 

She should never have left Gwen. She shouldn’t have let Arthur go without her. She shouldn’t have been allowed to enjoy a night of dreamless sleep and breakfast in bed. 

 

_Coward_. 

 

0o0oMERLINo0o0

 

It was only after Arthur had finally gotten used to the smell of the gaia berries that he and Merlin reached the end of the tunnels and could wash them off. 

 

“Gaia berries worked, then. Huh,” Arthur murmured, mostly to himself. 

 

“You didn't know if they worked?” Merlin stepped back from the stream, face still wet, but clear of any sticky red juice. 

 

Arthur picked a berry seed off his jacket. “Not for sure.” 

 

“Now you tell me?! Oh! Oh, what's that Wilddeoren eating? It's alright. It's just _Mer_ lin. You trying to get us both killed?”

 

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have risked your life like that.”

 

“Well, they do say love makes you do strange things.”

 

“What are you talking about?" Arthur tried to deny what he knew Merlin was suggesting. He couldn’t think of Gwen in that way. Anything between the two of them would be just as forbidden as Merlin and Morgana were, and he had actively spoken out against even a friendship between them. He wasn’t a hypocrite. Arthur was only going to rescue Gwen out of duty and because Morgana would have hated him otherwise. 

 

“Why can't you just admit your feelings for Gwen?” Merlin asked. 

 

Arthur laughed dismissively. 

 

“It's so obvious. A blind man could see it. Is it really that hard to admit you like her? Just say it.”

 

If even a blind man could see it, it was a miracle Uther hadn’t noticed anything. Merlin had to be exaggerating, he had to. But, if he was going to talk to anyone… Arthur was glad it was Merlin who had noticed.” 

 

“I can't! How can I admit that I think about her all the time? Or that...I care about her more than anyone. How can I admit that...I don't know what I'll do if any harm comes to her?”

 

“Why can't you?”

 

“Because nothing can ever happen between us! To admit my feelings knowing that...hurts too much.”

 

“Who's to say nothing can happen?”

 

“My father won't let me rescue a servant.” Not Merlin, and not Gwen. Arthur’s father wouldn’t have even let Arthur go out to rescue a single knight, a commoner was out of the question. “Do you honestly believe he'd let me marry one?”

 

Merlin grinned. “You want to marry Gwen?”

 

“No! No…” _Yes_. I”...I don't know...It's all talk, and that's all it can ever be.” The risks were too great for it to be anything else. 

 

“When you're King,” Merlin said, “you can change that.”

 

“I can't expect Guinevere to wait for me.” Arthur imagined his father living to be as old as Gaius. Gwen would marry eventually, no matter what she might have felt for him at some point. She wouldn’t live alone and be looked at in pity for never having wed. 

 

“If she feels as you do, she'll wait for you.”

 

“We don't even know if she's still alive.”

 

“No, she is. We will find her.”

 

Arthur wondered if it was by some magical knowhow or just pure faith that Merlin said those words, but he didn’t ask. “Come on. We've got a long trek ahead. Oh, and Merlin...if you dare tell anyone about this, I promise I will make your life a living hell.”

 

“You mean, more than you already do?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“We could talk about your feelings while you walk.”

 

“Shut up, Merlin.”

 

0o0oMERLINo0o0

 

“You distract them,” Arthur said. “I'll knock them out.” They had scaled the walls of the castle, and only found a few of the bandits guarding at the level they had climbed in. They were both tired from the climb, but it was as good an entrance as Arthur could have ever hoped for. 

 

“How do I distract them?”

 

Arthur shoved Merlin into the room with the bandits. 

 

“What are you doing there?” one of them asked. 

 

“Nothing. Actually, it's a funny story. I was out walking and I took a wrong turn and here I am. Do you know the way to the Veil of Danaria?”

 

Arthur inched his way behind the men as Merlin talked. 

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Me? Er, I'm no one...It's him you need to worry about.”

 

After Arthur had knocked them out with his sword, He and Merlin undressed the two men and pulled on their clothes as disguises. The two bandits were dragged off into a corner - hopefully, they wouldn’t be found anytime soon. Arthur doubted they had regular shift changes. 

 

“That actually worked pretty well,” Merlin said. 

 

They walked swiftly down the hallway in the direction of all the noise and entered a large, dark room filled with men and their atrocious laughter. The torchlight illuminated a cage at the room’s centre. 

 

Gwen didn’t look as bad as Arthur had feared - and she was wearing Morgana’s dress, which might have been what had saved her thus far. Whoever was in charge had mistaken her for the king's ward for a while, but evidently, the disguise hadn’t held up once no ransom came. Arthur didn’t recognize the person tied to Gwen at first until the man turned his face. 

 

Short hair wouldn’t hide Lancelot’s identity. The false knight looked battered, but alert and Arthur knew that if he could get Lancelot untied, they would have a valuable ally. 

 

“Release the Wilddeoren!” called the man that must have been the leader. 

 

Arthur jumped in without a second thought, joining the two in the cage. He pulled off his mask and revealed himself to the crowd, but most importantly, to Gwen. And Lancelot. 

 

“Arthur!” Gwen said, stunned. 

 

Arthur swiftly cut through their ropes and threw Lancelot a sword swiped from one of the bandits. The two men faced the wilddeoren side by side, Gwen behind them, and it felt natural. Not for the first time, Arthur was reminded what a fine knight they had lost because of his father’s rules. 

 

“What are you doing here, Lancelot?”

 

“I came to save Gwen. What about you?”

 

“Likewise.” But hopefully not for the same reason. Or hopefully for the same reason, because Lancelot would be so much better for Gwen than Arthur would ever be. “Get behind us, he said to Gwen and Merlin.

 

He saw the same man who had given the order to release the wilddeoren aiming a crossbow directly at the group in the cage. Arthur crouched, ready to throw the others away from the target when a chandelier crashed to the ground, disrupting the shot. Arthur relaxed. He had let himself forget that Merlin wasn’t useless, and now that he remembered, their safe escape seemed inevitable. 

 

“The tunnel, that's our only chance. Let's go!”

 

“After them!” cried the bandit’s leader. Having recovered from his fall, the man followed them into the cage in anger. Arthur prepared to defend himself. 

 

“Take Guinevere! I'll hold them off.”

 

“No!” Guinevere yelled. “I won’t leave you here!” 

 

Arthur looked to Lancelot, but he had his eyes on the man following them. Arthur grabbed Gwen’s wrist, but before he had to drag her to get her to move, Merlin said one of his weird magicky words. Arthur looked just in time to catch the gold in Merlin’s eyes fade and see the rope holding the cage gate open break. Their captor was trapped in with the wilddeoren. 

 

“Open the gate! Ah!” 

 

They didn’t stay around to see whether or not the man would survive against the giant flesh-eating baby rat. 

 

“I see you're still up to your old tricks, Merlin,” Lancelot said while running. Arthur had forgotten that Lancelot knew already, but was relieved that there would be one less explanation to do. 

 

“What?” Gwen hissed. “Why does everyone suddenly know how to do magic, or know that others can do magic, except for me? Arthur?” She turned to him as if looking for confirmation that she was, in fact, awake.

 

“We’ll tell you when we’re safely away,” Arthur assured, only slowing once they reached the locked bars at the end of the tunnel. After what seemed like hours of running outside, they made camp, and the topic couldn’t be avoided much longer. 

 

“I'm surprised you would undertake such a rescue mission...with just the two of you.” Lancelot poked at the fire with a long stick, causing a cloud of embers to rise. 

 

“My father would not risk the lives of his knights for a servant,” Arthur admitted. 

 

“And yet you disobeyed him and came here anyway.”

 

“Truth is, I only came because Morgana begged me.” A lie, of course. He didn’t miss how Gwen’s head dipped slightly when she heard his words and felt a pang of guilt hit him harder than he’d expected. 

 

“I think I will get some rest,” she murmured, retiring to her own space and blanket. 

 

“We should all get some rest,” Arthur agreed. 

 

Lancelot continued to look into the fire. “I'll stand guard for a while.”

 

The blankets brought with them were minimal, but Arthur was used to the discomforts of the forest floor from his hunts. It didn’t take long to start drifting off. Before he fell completely asleep he heard Merlin’s awkward “I'll just...sit here, then,” and smiled. 

 

0o0oMERLINo0o0

 

“Morgana. There's someone here to see you.”

 

Arthur stepped to one side, revealing Gwen behind him. Morgana’s eyes met Gwen’s, and the warped memory of Gwen seeing her magic floated to the forefront of her mind. 

 

_Please don’t hate me. I couldn’t bare it if you hated me_.

 

Gwen’s arms wrapped around Morgana’s neck and pulled her close, whispering into her ear. “Merlin and Arthur told me everything. I’m so sorry for what you had to go through alone!” Gwen pulled back, holding both of Morgana’s hands in hers. “This doesn’t change anything, Morgana.”

 

“I thought I'd never see you again,” Morgana said softly. 

 

“I wouldn’t be taken from you so easily,” Gwen assured, grinning. 

 

Arthur coughed and the girls looked up. 

 

“I’ll be off, then. I’m sure my father will want to yell at me for this. Merlin,” he looked around for his servant and found that Merlin had already disappeared. “Already slacking on his job, and we only just got back,” Arthur said. To most, it would have sounded like a complaint, but Morgana doubted Arthur was really irritated. 

 

Arthur turned to disappear after Merlin, but Morgana called him back. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind and shut it again, glancing at Guinevere for only a second. He nodded and left. 

 

“Sit,” Morgana led Gwen to one of the chairs at her table. “You must be tired, but I think we should talk before you leave.” 

 

“I’m not too tired to stay a while.” 

 

Morgana took a deep breath. “What exactly did Merlin and Arthur tell you? About me? And maybe Merlin?” 

 

Gwen bit her lip. “They really did tell me everything, I think. You both have magic, but different kinds. Neither of you chose to study it, it just comes naturally. Is there something else I should know?”

 

Morgana shook her head. “I just thought that you would be more upset. I thought that you might be…” 

 

“Afraid of you?” A pitying smile turned up a corner of Gwen’s mouth. “I’ll admit I was at first before Arthur talked to me, but more importantly, I was afraid _for_ you. I thought that it would corrupt you eventually. I had been planning to try to help you stop before it changed your personality.” 

 

Morgana scoffed. “I assure you, that won’t be necessary.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

“So that’s all? You don’t have any other questions?” 

 

“No.” Gwen tipped her head to the side. “There is something you should know though. While I was in that cell, someone came to visit me.” 

 

“Lancelot. I heard.” 

 

“I meant besides him. Someone who had come to rescue you, not me. You wouldn’t know anyone by the name of Corbin, would you?” 

 

Morgana thought about it. The name did sound familiar. Perhaps it was someone she had known as a child and had since forgotten about, but that didn’t explain why they would be willing to risk themselves for her. 

 

“I don’t think so.” 

 

“Oh.” Gwen looked oddly disappointed for not knowing this person either. She shook the topic off quickly with another. “Another thing this did explain though was Merlin.” 

 

“What about him?” 

 

“I knew he was coming to visit you quite often. I’ll admit I came to the same conclusion that Arthur did.” 

 

“Gwen! Why didn’t you say anything!” 

 

“I thought that you would say something first. I didn’t want to intrude!” 

 

Morgana stared at Gwen. Her face felt a little warm, but hopefully not enough that a blush would show. 

 

Gwen tried to pinch back a smile. Morgana did the same. 

 

Then both of them were laughing, that awful tear wrenching laugh that makes your stomach ache hours later but feels amazing at the moment. 

 

“I promise I won’t keep anything else from you,” Morgana gasped out between laughs. 

 

“I promise the same to you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Please leave kudos and comment if you have anything to suggest or say :) 
> 
> Next chapters may introduce some new (to this story, but not to Merlin, plus 1 or 2 OCs).


	3. The Witchfinder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The timing was a bit late. For a moment as he stood outside watching Gaius as he was escorted to the pyre in the centre of the square, he thought they had missed their chance. 

Ever since Morgana had almost been kidnapped, Uther’s rules for her had gotten even more confining. There were more guards, more curfews, more schedules, and less time for herself. That’s what made this one afternoon in the woods with Merlin so special. They hadn’t been able to talk alone for weeks, not with Arthur so determined to learn everything he could about magic, and with Gwen curiously poking in to watch them during the rare moments when it was safe enough for them to practice. Everything for the past few weeks had been pressing Morgana into a cage. 

Morgana’s head had already been ready to burst with all the stress and knowledge that it had gained before Arthur had gone and found the hidden room. She was thankful for his findings - it looked like several of the books would have useful spells in them, or at least, that’s what Merlin said. But along with the books, Morgana couldn’t forget Gwen’s mysterious finding. She didn’t think she knew anyone that went by Corbin, although the name sounded familiar. If she really had been in that cell when he had arrived, would he really have gotten her out? Out and away to where? Morgana flipped a page of the book she was supposed to be searching without reading it. 

“I don’t think I mentioned it, but I got Arthur to admit he has feelings for Gwen while we were gone,” Merlin said, breaking the silence between them. 

Morgana snapped out of her thoughts of Corbin. “And you’re okay with that?” Merlin hadn’t held any resentment or jealousy in his tone, a fact that made Morgana feel oddly lighter, but it was still hard to tell with Merlin. He could still be interested in Gwen. 

Merlin looked up at her. “Yes? I think it’s great! Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“I wasn’t sure… I thought that maybe you still loved Gwen.” She twitched at the word “loved” and immediately wished she hadn’t said it. 

“Morgana,” Merlin laughed softly, “I was never in love with Gwen.” 

“But Arthur said… and you always looked at her like… ”

“Arthur said it to keep me from execution. That’s all. Gwen is a great friend, one of the greatest in fact, but I never felt that way about her, even if she did have a bit of a crush on me at some point.” 

“Oh. Well, then, that’s great for Arthur. And Gwen.” Someone could pinch her cheeks and Morgana was sure they wouldn’t get any redder. 

“Yeah. Terrific.” 

The two went back to their books for a few more pages before the silence became unbearable. The quiet sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping were no longer enough to make their silence a comfortable one. 

“Why don’t we work on some spells,” Merlin suggested. 

“Okay. Show me something new. Something fun and easy.” 

Merlin looked around. There wasn’t much around them but the plants. In the distance, the smoke from a fire twisted towards the sky to join the pure white clouds. After a few moments, Merlin pushed out a hand towards the far tendrils of smoke. 

“Hors, beride þá heofonum.”

The smoke turned into the form of a galloping horse, climbing higher to reach the sky. Morgana gasped, even though she had been expecting something special. 

“Are you sure no one saw that?” 

“If they did, they’ll blink twice, it will be gone, and they’ll never think of it again. That’s what always happens.” 

A short ways away, they heard a branch snap and footsteps running through the trees. 

“Did you see it? The smoke, did you see it?” A woman’s voice yelled. 

“No, I saw nothing,” a man replied.

“Are you blind? You were right here! It was magic, I tell you. There's sorcery here. We must tell the King.” 

Merlin looked at Morgana in horror. 

* * *

“It was sorcery you saw, and you're certain of it?” Uther looked sternly down at Cathryn from his throne. 

Morgana hadn’t sat with Uther while he sat in his throne room for days, but after Cathryn’s refusal to give up the idea of magic, Morgana had needed to see what would happen for herself and not hear anything second hand. 

She and Merlin had made it back before Cathryn did, and had long enough to stash their books back in Arthur’s room before taking separate routes to the throne room. 

“Yes, Sire,” Cathryn confirmed. 

“And you swear this before your King?”

“I swear it.”

Arthur, who for the first time in weeks didn’t look bored out of his mind with his role as Prince, interrupted. “Perhaps your eyes deceived you, a trick of the light.”

“The smoke was alive, I tell you. I feared for my life.”

Morgana snorted with indignation. Feared for her life? Just because of some smoke shaped like a horse? It was ridiculous. 

Uther barely bat an eye at Morgana’s sound, but Arthur stopped to glare at her before turning back to Cathryn. 

“I thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Uther said. “Your loyalty will not go unrewarded.

“Thank you, Sire.”

A knight escorted her out, and Uther’s face grew stonier. 

“It cannot continue.”

“I will hunt down those responsible, Father,” Arthur insisted. “I promise they will not escape unpunished.” He shot a pointed look at Morgana that told her that she would not escape his interrogation. She and Merlin would be “punished” with a long lecture about being more discreet with their practices. Merlin, however, was not subject to Arthur’s irritated looks as he stood far enough away that Arthur would’ve had to swing his head around to look at him, and doing so would have been suspicious. 

“No. Stronger methods are called for. Send for the Witchfinder.”

Morgana could not hear her own intake of breath over the gasps of the courtiers. The witchfinder hadn’t been in Camelot since Morgana was ten years old. She had only been in the palace for a few months when he came, and she wasn’t forced to be in his company for more than a few moments, but in those few minutes, his eyes had seemed to bore a hole into her body and grasp at any hints of guilt. Uther hadn’t even called for him that time, he had simply turned up, supposedly just “passing through.” 

By the time he had gone, there had been three executions, and the witchfinder had walked away with a pouch filled with gold.  

Gaius stepped forward. “Sire, is it necessary to resort to such measures?”

“The Witchfinder is a trusted ally, Gaius,” Uther reminded. “His help will be invaluable.”

“Of course.” 

* * *

“How many times will I have to drive it into that thick skull of yours that you must guard the secret of your magic with your life!” Arthur pushed Merlin into a chair next to Morgana. 

“You’re sounding a lot like Gaius right now,” Merlin muttered. “I’ve already heard this from him, you don’t have to -” 

“And you!” Arthur rounded on Morgana. “This is something I would have expected of Merlin, but you were there! Why didn’t you stop him? Why weren’t you more careful?” 

“Everyone makes mistakes, Arthur.” Morgana scowled. “This one wasn’t even a big one. If it had been anyone but Cathryn -” 

“But it was Catheryn, so ‘ _ if’ _ doesn’t bloody matter now, does it?” 

Morgana rose from her chair so that she wasn’t so much shorter than Arthur was. She wasn’t as tall or as broad as he was, but that wouldn’t stop her from being an intimidating presence. “We did magic. It was seen. Now we have a problem. What good does your yelling do if it's all things we already know? Have you done something to prevent the witchfinder from coming? Because if not, Arthur, I think we have more important things to do.” 

Morgana wasn’t sure what they could do in all honesty, but she held Arthur’s gaze until he looked away. The best thing for them might be to stop all use of magic until the witchfinder had passed through, but that wouldn’t be what was best for Camelot’s citizens. Morgana knew that the witchfinder would not leave without at least one death, and if they didn’t do anything, it would likely be the death of an innocent. 

“Fine.” Arthur backed away. He walked to his desk and pulled out the few books of magic that were hidden in a secret compartment behind one of the drawers. “These need to be put back in that room. And the one you keep under the floorboards, Merlin, it’d better go with them.” 

Merlin nodded and the books out of Arthur’s arms. 

“No, give them to me.” 

The boys looked at her with blank faces. 

“Arthur, you said that Geoffrey found your behaviour suspicious. Merlin, your presence in the Library is always suspicious. Bring the other book to me, and I’ll take them back.” 

Arthur nodded. “Good thinking.” 

“Is there anything else we can do?” Merlin asked. 

“Just don’t do anything… abnormal.” Arthur suggested. 

“I think you’ve forgotten who you're talking to,” Morgana joked. “Not one person in this castle would describe Merlin as ‘normal’”

* * *

Bringing the fog with him, the witchfinder arrived under cover of darkness a few nights later. The cage that followed made the dread Morgana felt even worse. There wasn’t a single person that didn’t fear him. Merlin and Morgana had stopped practising magic after Uther had called for the witchfinder, but Morgana wished they hadn’t just so she could talk to him more than a slight nod as they passed one another in the halls. 

When he looked up at her window, Morgana was sure the witchfinder already knew. 

* * *

“I’d like to say your feelings mean nothing, Morgana, I really would, but you should have heard the man last night.” Arthur slowed and deepened his voice in an impression of this ‘Aredian.’ “Do you smell it? Do you smell it, Uther? It's all around us, the foul stench of sorcery. It's infected your great city like a contagion.” Arthur wiggled his fingers in Morgana’s face like he had when they were younger and he was telling a scary story that involved an evil sorcerer. “Unchecked, it spreads like a disease. It seeks out the young and the old, the weak and the able, the fair and the foul of heart alike.” He dropped his arms back down and resumed his normal walk. “And, the man is obviously here for the money. I don’t know how Father doesn’t see it.” 

“I think we can agree that there’s a lot of things that your father does not see.” 

“And now, he’s got something on Merlin, and you think he suspects you.” 

“What about Merlin?” Morgana hadn’t heard anything about him, and she guessed that if anything happened to him, the castle servants chatter would reach her through Gwen.

“Aredian spotted him with Gaius - Merlin said they knew each other a long time ago. He requested Merlin’s cooperation in answering a few questions. He declined everything of course, but he was seen in the forest that day. He’s now a suspect based on the fact that he can’t prove it  _ wasn’t  _ him.” 

The two rounded the corner and entered the throne room. This time, the room was more organized. Courtiers stood to the sides as they watched the proceedings instead of milling about the room in idle conversation. Morgana took her seat at Uther’s left and watched Aredian present his “evidence.” 

Three women, all from the lower town, confessed to seeing the results of magic. All three accounts were unrelated to Morgana or Merlin, which she would have to assure him later. She could already imagine his outrage and possible confusion at these stories. 

Surely Arthur had the trust to know that neither she nor Merlin would conjure faces in well water, coal dancing goblins, or call toads to jump from their mouths. That disgusting use of magic would not only be horrific, but it had no purpose to it whatsoever. 

“Fortunately I've utilised every facet of my craft to bring this matter to a swift resolution,” Aredian announced after the final story. 

“The sorcerer? You have a suspect?” Uther’s relief was as plain on his face as it could get. 

Morgana was doing all she could not to clench her fists or look as terrified as she was. Most of all, she did not look at Aredian’s face, not even to see if he was looking at her. She would be pointed out as a magic user, she was sure of it, for even without her looking, she could feel the witchfinder’s gaze. 

“Oh, I do, My Lord. I regret to say, they stand among us in this very room.” Aredian walked in a slow, casual circle, one that would have brought fear to anyone, not just the guilty. “My methods are infallible, my findings incontestable! The facts point to one person and one person alone: the boy, Merlin!” 

“Merlin,” Arthur scoffed. “You can’t be serious.” 

Arthur was a good actor under pressure, Morgana would give him that, but she doubted Arthur’s doubt would be enough to get Merlin out of danger this time around. 

“This is outrageous!” Gaius said. “You have no evidence!”

“The tools of magic cannot be hidden from me. I am certain that a thorough search of the boy's chamber will deliver us all we need.”

Uther nodded thoughtfully, turning to Merlin. “Merlin?” 

“I have nothing to hide from him.”

Morgana thought of the books she had taken to the secret room in the library only days beforehand and imagined they hadn’t been warned to take such action before reminding herself that everything would be fine. Everything was hidden, so there wouldn’t be any proof. 

“Very well. Guards, restrain the boy. Let the search begin.”

The search of Merlin’s chambers turned into a full search of the physician’s quarters, and there was nothing Arthur could do to stop it. His knights had finally been requested, but put under the order of Aredian instead of himself. They smashed Gaius’s possessions without regard for any importance. 

When Leon found an amulet in an inconspicuous powder jar, Arthur cursed Merlin’s forgetfulness in his head. How could he just leave behind something so incriminating? If he had just given it to Morgana along with the books, nothing would have been found. Although Arthur had to admit that if he had been the one leading a search for sorcery, he would not have broken that powder jar and the amulet would not have been found. 

“An amulet of enchantment.” Aredian examined the artefact. “Were you aware, physician, that your assistant kept instruments of sorcery?”

“No.” 

“Well, our work is done. I must inform the King.” 

Aredian walked with his usual leisurely pace to the door while Arthur thought frantically for something that would prove Merlin’s innocence. Even though Merlin was not innocent of the crime of sorcery. 

Arthur almost wished he’d never found out about Merlin’s magic until he realized what these events would look like to him having not known. He would never have believed Merlin to be guilty, but they would still be in the same place. 

“Aredian!” Gaius stopped the witchfinder before he made it out the door. “I know for certain that that amulet does not belong to Merlin.”

“Oh? Well, who does it belong to, then?”

“It belongs to me.” 

Arthur didn’t know if Gaius was telling the truth - if he was, Arthur needed to expand the list of people that he trusted who turned out to have magic, and he had yet another piece of evidence that the laws against its practice were overly strict. If Gaius wasn’t telling the truth, he had to be doing it to protect Merlin. 

So Arthur didn’t say anything as he went ahead of Gaius and the guards to the dungeons. 

“You’re free to go,” he said, unlocking Merlin’s cell. The presence of a guard to escort Merlin out prevented Arthur from warning him about what had happened, but it wasn’t long before Merlin saw Gaius anyway.

“Gaius? What's going on?”

“Say nothing, Merlin. Do nothing. Promise me!”

Staying quiet would not be an easy task for Merlin, Arthur knew that, but he hadn’t expected it to be difficult for himself. Later that evening at dinner, he found out that Uther hadn’t executed everyone that had used magic - Gaius had been an exception. And for that loyalty, he would have to endure through whatever tortures Aredian might put him through. 

Based on his look at the devices the witch hunter had brought with him, it was definitely more torture than a pleasant questioning. Arthur wanted to break Gaius out of the cell himself. 

* * *

“Kilgharrah couldn’t help.” 

“Of course he couldn’t, that damn dragon isn’t useful for anything other than giving pointless riddles.” Arthur sat himself down at his table rather more abruptly than he had intended. “And you, Merlin, you shouldn’t have left that amulet in that room anyway. What were you thinking.” 

Arthur would never have admitted it, but Merlin’s glance at Morgana before he gave an answer irritated him more than it should have. 

“It wasn’t my amulet. Or Morgana’s.” 

“So it was actually Gaius’ then?” 

“Must have been.”

“And... “ Morgana hesitated, “I probably haven’t helped anything.” 

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked. 

“Aredian questioned me earlier today. About my nightmares and how Gaius treated them for years and they only got worse until recently. He asked about the contents of the potions, and I had nothing to prove that they weren’t some kind of evil magic.” 

The door was pushed in and Gwen entered in a rush. “Gaius confessed. He confessed to everything seen and is to be burned at the stake tomorrow.” 

Arthur knew to grab Merlin before his servant had even moved a single millimetre, and he didn’t hesitate to act. Merlin squirmed, furiously trying to escape Arthur’s arms, presumably to hunt down Aredian for his crimes. Arthur knew that Merlin knew that was a bad idea. If he didn’t, Merlin would have escaped Arthur’s grasp using magic. 

Instead, Arthur felt the fight leave him. 

“You can let go now.” 

Arthur let go and watched Merlin brush himself off. 

“I can let you talk to him.” 

“Arthur?”

“Maybe he knows something that we don’t. Something that would help clear his name.” 

* * *

Gaius did indeed know something that they didn’t: the amulet wasn’t his either. Merlin immediately blamed Aredian and the other three were quick to agree with his guess. The only thing was that their guess didn’t do a thing for Gaius without any proof. And even though Gaius insisted they let it go, giving up on saving Gaius was not discussed even once. 

The next day, Gwen reported Morgana’s next session of “questioning.” 

Arthur had questioned or been present for the questioning of more than his fair share of prisoners, and he sincerely doubted that’s what Aredian was doing. Breaking a person until they confessed to a crime wasn’t questioning. It didn’t bring truth. 

“Aredian is paid to catch sorcerers,” Merlin said. “Maybe he doesn't care whether someone is guilty or not. Maybe he gets confessions by lying, by planting evidence, just as long as he gets a confession, he gets his money.” 

And Arthur didn’t understand how Uther could be so blind to it. 

Arthur didn’t understand how, to prove a person innocent of magic, he was going to have to rely on someone using magic. 

It was a convoluted solution to a twisted problem. 

But Merlin came through when he found the flower petals and extra amulet. Gwen came through with her knowledge of the town and its people and its methods of beauty of which Arthur and Merlin had no idea. Using flower petals that caused hallucinations in a beauty product, a tincture of Belladonna, was clever, an elegant plan of someone who knew what people would overlook. 

Merlin planted their new evidence. 

And it worked. 

The timing was a bit late. For a moment as he stood outside watching Gaius as he was escorted to the pyre in the centre of the square, he thought they had missed their chance. 

But then the apothecary confessed about the belladonna, Aredian’s room was searched, and the cupboard opened. Dozens of amulets dropped out and Belladonna tincture. 

“These things don't belong to me! This is a trick!” Aredian braced himself against a post as he coughed out his words. “That boy plots against me!” 

_ Greedy fool.  _

The toads coming from his mouth were a perfect addition. Arthur was surprised - he hadn’t thought Merlin would take that part seriously. 

Then Aredian fell, letting his hostage the Lady Morgana go as he crashed through the window. Arthur didn’t go look at the body. He followed his father. 

Uther apologized to Gaius, but that wasn’t enough. 

“Father.” 

“Arthur, what is it?” Uther’s forehead creased and he held the fingers of one hand to his temples. 

“I hope you see,” Arthur began cautiously, “that you went too far this time. You caused the people fear and pain. You almost cost them future pain as well — Gaius is our best physician. Without him, there would undoubtedly be many deaths in the future that we couldn’t prevent.” 

“Yes. Yes, I see that now, and I am sorry for it. I was tricked. I was tricked and the suffering was my fault. It will never happen again.” 

“You say that now, but what happens in a few months when another member of the castle staff that we know is loyal is accused of sorcery?” 

“You have my word I will take more time to issue a sentence.” 

“Good. I will, of course, remind you of that.” 

Uther nodded and straightened himself, his face returning to its usual composure. “Of course. Will I be seeing you for our evening meal later?” 

“No.” Arthur was already walking away. “I’ve been invited to dine with Gaius and Merlin. I expect Morgana will be there as well, so there’s no need to wait for either of us.” 

* * *

“What I don't understand is how you knew he'd concealed the evidence in his chamber,” Gaius said to Merlin as he set food out on their small table. 

Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen pause outside the door, waiting to hear how Merlin would respond. 

“Just a hunch, really,” Merlin said lightly. 

Gaius hmmed softly, clearly in disbelief. “I see. And the toad?”

“That I, er...ahem, I, er...can't explain.” 

Morgana muffled her laughter with a hand over her mouth, and Arthur himself didn’t bother to conceal his smile. 

“I can hardly explain it myself. Unless, of course, you put it there.” 

“OK, Gaius, fair enough. I promise I will never save your life again.”

“Promise?”

“Absolutely.” 

There Arthur decided they’d been listening outside the door for too long. “Merlin might make that promise, but no one else will, Gaius. And I feel quite certain that’s a promise Merlin is bound to break if the need arises.” 

“Sire!” Gaius said, looking around warily before meeting Arthur’s eyes. “I didn’t realize you had arrived. You weren’t waiting at the door long, were you?” 

Arthur looked at Merlin curiously. Arthur knew Gaius was well aware of Merlin’s magic. It hadn’t occurred to him that Gaius wouldn’t know that Arthur shared the same knowledge. 

“Honestly, don’t you think the frogs were a bit much, Merlin?” asked Guinevere, returning to the topic of Aredian. 

Gaius’ mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. 

“Well, it was Arthur’s idea, really,” Merlin confessed. 

Gaius spit out his mouthful of soup. “Arthur’s idea?” 

“Yeah. Oh, I never did tell you that Arthur knows, did I?”

“Merlin! Of course Arthur knows that, that, er, you… does he really? The danger that puts you in…” 

“Gaius, he’s known for months now. So have Morgana and Gwen.” 

Gaius opened his mouth again, probably to scold Merlin, but shut it again after glancing at the other three seated at his table. 

“I know that Merlin has magic,” Arthur agreed. “And I’m fine with it. Now, anyway. It took me a while.” 

“And I know that I have magic.” Morgana’s face was not angry or unkind like Arthur guessed it would have been had they discussed this topic on an ordinary day and not just after Gaius had been tortured. “I understand why you didn’t want me to know, Gaius, but you should have seen there were more reasons to tell me than there were to hide it from me. I have more control now, thanks to Merlin. Maybe if you told me sooner, if you didn’t make me feel like I was going insane — ” 

“Morgana, that’s enough,” Arthur interrupted. 

Morgana responded by pushing a plate towards Arthur and insisting he eats his meal and minds his own business before she returned her attention to Gaius. 

“You can make up for this eventually, I suppose. But let’s start with a question. Do you know anything about someone named Corbin?” 

Both of Gaius’ eyebrows raised in surprise. “Corbin? As in Corbin and Elaine?” 

“Who’s Elaine?” 

Gaius shook his head. “If you do not know that already, it’s better I stay quiet.” 

“Not another secret, Gaius,” Morgana snapped. “We’ve been through this.” 

“And I believe that this one really should stay unearthed for now. Don’t try to convince me otherwise.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time, hasn't it?   
> And once again (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before) my hesitation to write this chapter came from it not being completely original. I got tired of using the episode transcript to form all my writing. 
> 
> So, you can understand why I'm super excited for the next 'episode' I'm doing, The Sins of the Father, because Morgause is going to get a slightly different story. And, Uther is going to make a discovery that will change the route of all future episodes, so I shouldn't get bored writing it and you shouldn't get bored reading it.


	4. The Sins of the Father Pt1: Uther's Emrys

Back in the earlier days of his rule, a visit from a council member was a daily occurrence. Those older than him would have endless advice, suggestions, and complaints. Those of his advisors Uther’s own age who had fought at his side many times would have useful debate points. As the years had gone on, the visits became fewer. Geoffrey of Monmouth paying a personal visit to the King’s chambers unannounced was completely unexpected. 

“Is there a problem with our records?” Uther asked when Geoffrey entered the room, a battered book under one arm. There was nothing else Uther could imagine Geoffrey having a problem with. 

“No, sire, nothing like that.” 

“Then what, might I ask, is the meaning for this visit?” 

“I have concerns about your son and about a prophecy that was brought back to my attention.” 

“I hold little regard for prophecies. They are borne from magic. They cause more trouble than they’re worth.” 

“I understand.” Geoffrey shuffled further into the room and closed the door behind him. “However, this one may concern your son.” 

Uther only nodded his head slightly to allow the man to continue with his story, although Uther still didn’t see the point. It was worth waiting, though. If there was one lesson Uther had learned as a young king, it was not to disregard those that held knowledge. There were exceptions — but he had broken his personal vow of respect by nearly executing Gaius. He would not do so again unless absolutely necessary. 

“I’m not sure if you noticed, sire, but for the past few weeks, Prince Arthur has been coming to visit the library. Which, he is permitted and encouraged to do, might I add. I spent hours trying to get that boy to see the use of books when he was younger, but it didn’t stop him from leaving as soon as his studies were over. That is why his presence in the library… was suspicious to me.” 

“Perhaps he simply wanted to search up battle strategies or verify a knight’s noble standing. After that incident with that commoner, I would understand double checking,” Uther suggested. Even though he thought his suggestions reasonable, Uther had to admit it would be out of character for Arthur to double-check anything himself. 

“I thought so too, at first. But then I caught a glimpse of the books he was reading, and none of them related to wars or genealogy. He doesn’t know I saw anything he was reading, he had stepped out into the hallway to receive a message when I looked. I took one of the books in his pile — he had enough that I didn’t think he would notice.” 

“And?” 

“It’s a druidic text, my Lord. Much of it would be unreadable to him.” 

Uther took the book that was handed to him. It was bound in leather and covered in carvings he had thought nothing of before his attention was drawn to it. What his son would want from a book of ruins, or even where he would find such a thing was beyond him. 

“I thought we burned all such items years ago,” he whispered. The book weighed heavily in his hands. How long had its pages been around, corrupting those who read it? How many people had died because of this very book? It was worn as if handled by many, but the pages were crisp and new. 

Geoffrey nodded again. “I thought so too, but apparently Arthur managed to find at least one.” 

“And what did you find about some prophecy?” 

“I’d heard of such a prophecy before: it’s common among the druids. A hero, the most powerful warlock to walk the earth, would be born and bring the rise of the once and future king, destined to bring together magic and non-magical peoples across Albion.” 

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard that one too. What of it?” Rebellion often started in such ways. The people would pass along stories of a great leader. It wasn’t unique to modern druids, but it was one of the reasons the druids had to be controlled and destroyed. 

Geoffrey opened the book to a passage, one that Uther couldn’t read, and pointed. “This gives more detail than anything I’ve ever heard before. And, my King, if what it says is to be believed, this legendary king they refer to is Arthur. The sorcerer that walks along beside him, Emrys they call him, may already walk among us.” 

“Which means he may already be acting to corrupt my son. I may not believe in prophecy, but this Emrys is undoubtedly a danger. We must be vigilant.” 

“Would you like to inform the prince of —” 

“No. Arthur would only ask more questions. He has not seen the evil of magic as I have, and simply telling him of this prophecy too soon might lead him astray. Tell Gaius what you have told me. And perhaps Sir Leon. We need someone close to my son, but someone who will obey my orders over his without question.” 

Geoffrey took the book back from Uther’s arms. “Of course, sire.” 

Just as the door was about to close, Uther called him back. “Burn the book.” 

Geoffrey dipped his head in acceptance and left. 

* * *

“Arise, Sir Vidor, Knight of Camelot. Arise, Sir Caradoc, Knight of Camelot.” 

Uther watched the two knight’s faces as they accepted their place among Camelot’s finest. They would serve Camelot well. Sir Caradoc had been specifically mentioned by Arthur as having talent. Uther had not seen such praise from his son since Lancelot. 

“You have been accorded a great honour. But with that honour comes great responsibility. From this day forth, you are sworn to live by the knights' code. You have pledged to conduct yourselves with nobility, honour, and respect. Your word is your sacred bond. You will find no one who better embodies these values than my son, Arthur. Follow his example, and you will prove yourselves worthy of your title.” 

As if to offer a chance to do just that, the sound of sword fighting began outside the doors. Uther’s eyes, like everyone else's, were drawn to the door as a foreign knight entered, sword drawn. 

Arthur stepped forward and Uther cursed his son’s instinct to sacrifice himself. The knight threw down his gauntlet in front of Arthur, who picked it up. 

“I accept your challenge. If I'm to face you in combat, do me the courtesy of revealing your identity.” 

The night removed the helmet in one sweep of their arm, letting waves of blonde hair cascade from inside. 

“My name is Morgause.” 

It couldn’t be _ that _ Morgause. Vivienne’s child had died as a mere baby. Still, the name Morgause made Uther uneasy. Her arrival accompanied by news of Emrys encouraged an increase in security, but Uther decided against it. Emrys would not kill Arthur, and more guards would only alert his son to the situation. 

“I've searched the records going back more than 300 years. I could find nothing to say a woman cannot issue a challenge,” Geoffrey said at their later consultation. 

“There must be some way to put a stop to this.”

“According to the Knight's Rules, it appears her challenge is perfectly valid.”

“It seems there's nothing we can do,” Arthur conceded. 

Uther slammed a palm into the table. “We don't know anything about this woman! I will not let you face her in combat!”

“I accepted the challenge. If I refuse to fight, it'll be seen as an act of cowardice.”

“She killed five guards. You should not underestimate her.” 

“I cannot demand that my knights uphold the code, then be seen to break it myself. I must face her tomorrow.”

* * *

Her steps were not light and delicate like a lady’s should be, but they were graceful all the same. Morgana wondered if she resembled Morgause when she fought, hair and face now uncovered, obviously female but ready for battle despite the expectations of her gender. If Uther hadn’t forced her to stop practising, Morgana might be as talented as the woman she watched practising in the courtyard. Maybe they would have trained together at some point - Morgause did trigger some feeling of familiarity. 

“Who is she?” Gwen asked, also watching, though Morgana doubted she had the same feelings of admiration and jealousy. “Why would she challenge Arthur? It seems no one's ever heard of her.” 

“I don’t know,” Morgana said. “I feel as if I've met her somewhere before.”

“Really?” Morgana could tell Gwen wasn’t looking out the window anymore. “Where could you know her from?” 

“I don't know.” 

“If there’s any chance you know her, perhaps that could lead us to a motive,” Merlin suggested. He sat with Arthur at a table further back in the room, not close enough to see out the window, but close enough to hear Morgana and Gwen’s conversation. 

“I don’t have any idea why I would know her, I’m sorry.” 

Arthur shrugged and continued to skim the pages of his current book find. “It’s probably nothing. I'm the King's son. Perhaps she wants to prove herself.” 

“Yeah, but you don't want to fight her, do you?” Merlin asked. 

“I have no choice. If I refuse to fight her, I'm a coward. If I kill her, what am I then?” 

“A knight who follows the knight’s code,” Morgana said instantly. “Don’t let the fact that she’s a woman blind you to the fact that she’s a knight - and a good one at that.” 

Arthur met her stare with irritation. “I’m not going to go easy on her because she’s a girl, Morgana. I just don’t want to fight her.” 

“Because she’s a girl.” 

“I didn’t say that. Now, Merlin, I need you to take a message to Morgause for me. If I'm seen to do it, it could be viewed as cowardice. You must persuade her to withdraw her challenge.” 

Morgana smirked. “I doubt she’ll withdraw Arthur, and I for one already view this action as cowardice.” 

Merlin moved to stand, but Morgana got to her feet first. “I’ll take the message.” 

“My lady?” Gwen stood to follow her. 

“You can stay, Gwen. I’ll go on my own.” 

Morgana didn’t expect Morgause to pause her practice to talk to her, but Morgause approached Morgana as soon as she arrived in the courtyard. 

“I hear you’re not bad with a sword yourself, Morgana. Care to join me.” 

Morgana looked down at her long gown and almost laughed. Fighting in that would be uncomfortable and impractical, but she appreciated the offer. It took her back to when she used to fight Arthur. 

And, reminded her that Morgause wasn’t Arthur. 

“You know who I am.” 

“Of course. And there are extra clothes over there.” she pointed at the bag she had brought with her. “I get the feeling you’d like a challenge of your own.” 

“I must decline, although you are quite right. I miss having a good challenge every once in a while. But I was wondering if we’ve met before?” 

Morgause smiled and took a seat on one of the benches nearby, offering Morgana the seat next to her. “I don’t believe we have actually met.” 

“Strange.” 

“Strange indeed,” Morgause agreed. “I’m sure that’s not the reason you came, though. What is it you wanted to ask?” 

Morgana laughed, not noticing until that moment that she had forgotten her reason for talking to Morgause in the first place. “Prince Arthur wants you to withdraw your challenge. He has no desire to fight you and he will grant you safe passage through the kingdom if you leave now.” 

“If Arthur has no desire to fight me, perhaps he should withdraw.” 

Morgana bit back her own agreement. “He won’t. It's not in him to withdraw.” 

“Then we have that in common.”

“Why challenge him in the first place?” 

“I have my reasons, Lady Morgana. Don’t worry. My intention is not to leave Camelot without an heir.” After a moment's pause, she stood again. “I have more practice to do, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Morgana said. “But I might take you up on that offer of a duel after all.” 

* * *

Morgause walked quickly through the dark cave, glancing behind her every few seconds as if expecting someone to follow her. She was wearing a dress of fine silk and jewels rarer than Morgana’s own. And then Morgana saw herself. 

Normally when she dreamed, the difference between dream and reality was unclear. She believed what was happening was the truth until she woke up under heavy blankets and the cheerful sounds of an ordinary day about to begin. 

But this time, seeing herself alerted her to the illusion. 

_ “I’m glad you came, sister.” _ Morgause embraced dream Morgana who took a few seconds to return the hug.  _ “I know the risk you’re taking, but I assure you it will be worth it.” _

Dream Morgause and Morgana faded into a vision of Uther pacing in front of a fire as he spoke to a woman Morgana didn’t recognise but that, like Morgause, felt familiar. 

_ “Why would I trust a witch like you? If I could, I would have you killed right here, right now.”  _

_ “The enemy of your enemy is a friend, Uther. You need me. Morgana needs me.” _

Then in another scene, a cloaked figure dodged Morgause’s dagger as it flew straight for their chest — 

Morgana woke up. Her body was tense as she lay flat on her back and focused on counting her breaths. 

The dream lingered in her mind but didn’t take over. It probably helped that no one had died in the dream. Things actually seemed to be going fine in her dream, which was somewhat comforting. 

Morgana still knew little about how seeing the future worked, though, but she was fairly sure that if she had dreamed it, these moments would be pivotal. 

And Morgause had called her sister. She would have to bring that up next time she spoke to her friends, hopefully before Arthur’s fight. 

* * *

As it was, Morgana did not get to see anyone but Gwen before Arthur’s battle with Morgause. By that point, she was much too occupied with worrying about Arthur to talk about her dream. The more she thought about it, the more worried she was. Morgause had been in the dreams. That meant Morgause survived. And if Morgause survived a fight to the death, then Arthur had to die, didn’t he? 

Morgana couldn’t see herself welcoming an embrace from someone who killed Arthur, though. She watched the two opponents stand side by side as Uther made his announcement. 

“The fight is by the Knights' Rules. And to the death.” 

The two turned to face each other. She couldn’t hear the words, but Morgana knew Arthur gave Morgause one final chance to revoke her challenge. 

And, as Morgana knew she would, Morgause declined. They fought, swords flashing in the light at every swing. Arthur didn’t hold back, but that did nothing to ease Morgana’s fears. When Morgause dropped her sword and Arthur allowed her to pick it back up Morgana could have screamed at him. Instead, she just held on more tightly to the armrests of her viewing seat. 

She turned out to have good reason to worry. Because Arthur lost. 

Morgause disarmed Arthur and pressed her sword to his chest. 

“Make me a promise and I will spare your life.” 

The question of why Morgause made the challenge was partially answered, then. She wasn’t after the glory or the death of a prince. She was after a favour. A favour of what?

“What is it you ask?”

“Come to me three days hence and accept the challenge I set to you.”

“And the nature of this challenge?”

“That is for me to decide. Do I have your word that you will accept, no matter what?”

“You have my word.”

And although she was worried, Morgana was assured by Arthur’s living, breathing, form leaving the field. She wouldn’t lose him. Morgause had to be harmless. 

Morgana would never seek an embrace with an enemy. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading/kudos/commenting


End file.
